


Play Day

by KeoProductions



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: F/M, German Shepherd, Other, Shifter AU, shape shifter au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-11-30 23:38:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KeoProductions/pseuds/KeoProductions
Summary: “Who’s dog is this?” He asks, squatting and looking at you in amazement. He’s never had one of his own, but he’s always had an affinity for big ones like you.“It’s yours.” His dad explains.“You guys got me a dog?” He asks them, utterly speechless.





	1. Play Day

Yixing was sitting relaxedly on his couch as he waited for his parents to come home. They had both gotten a day off work to come visit him and he was excited to spend time with them. It was sort of out of the blue when they offered to come but he couldn’t deny he wanted to see them. Yixing’s an older man now and he’s got a stable career of his own, but with him working and his parents both having jobs, they rarely got time to spend it with one another.

When the knock sounds at his door he readily stands up, a smile already playing on his lips before he reaches the entrance. “Mama, Baba!” Yixing greets the second the door opens. He’s moving in for a hug when suddenly– “Oof!”

His mother laughs when he looks down in shock at the weight that slammed into him. “We were going to surprise you, but I guess she beat you to it!” She exclaims, and Yixing looks up at his parents in a mix of awe and confusion.

“Who’s dog is this?” He asks, squatting and looking at you in amazement. He’s never had one of his own, but he’s always had an affinity for big ones like you.

“It’s yours.” His dad explains.

“You guys got me a  ** _dog?_** ” He asks them, utterly speechless. Since when did they have the money to afford one?

“Well, it was more like she popped up on our doorstep one day, so we took her in.” His mother says. “She was hungry, so we fed her and she came back the next day.”

“She’s already well trained, we assumed she was a police dog because of how good she was, but no one at the station recognized her.” His dad shrugs. “Then we thought of you, and adopted her under your name so you’d have someone to keep you company.”

Yixing knows because of the way he worded it, but the real reason his parents brought him this German Shepherd was because they thought he was lonely. Romantically lonely. He’s already twenty four, almost twenty five, and he hasn’t introduced any women to his parents. Like, at all. Never. But he’s fine being single. He’s happy working, hanging out with his friends. Sure there are pretty ladies out there but he’s never fallen head over heels for one.

“Thank you.” Yixing grins at them nonetheless, knowing it was only out of love and worry. While he makes some small talk with them, you run your nose along his neck affectionately, but he gasps and flinches away in surprise. “Aish, what are you doing dog?” He asks you, holding you at arms length.

“Seems like she likes you already.” His mother chuckles.

“Come on in,” Yixing says, remembering his manners, but his parents shake their heads with a small smile.

“We came to deliver her,” His father states. “We have work to do tonight.”

“But you guys told me it was your day off.” Yixing says, sounding disappointed, and his mother runs her hand over his hair, then cups his cheek.

“Honey, I’m sorry. We knew it was the only way you’d let us come visit.” She was right, and he knew they knew he knew it. Yixing didn’t want to burden them and didn’t allow them to come see him on the days they worked in fear of adding too much stress on them.

“We’ll catch you another time.” His dad says, patting his shoulder, and then they’re gone. Yixing’s stuck watching them drive away until suddenly you run from his arms and into the open door to his house.

“Ah, wait up!” He calls after you, but you make a mad dash through his living room and straight into his bedroom. “Doggie! Not there!” He whines, but it’s already too late. You hop onto his bed, circle around a few times, then lay your head on your paws and close your eyes. Helpless, he walks over and sits on the edge. “My bed is for  ** _me,_** silly.” He urges, tapping your side, but you don’t budge or react. “Please?” You open one eye to peer at him, then close it again and ignore him.

Your goal is not to make friends with this man, even if you originally made it seem that way. You had to play nice around him in order to get those old people to transfer ownership. He had more money, more living space, and more time away so you’d be safe living the life you’ve decided to. You’ve gotten over the hardest part, and now you’re going to live the easy life, being taken care of by a lonely man and doing what you want.

“Aigoo, you’re really cute when you’re sleeping.” His words startle you, not only because of  ** _what_**  he said, but also because his voice sounded directly in front of you. You jerked up in shock, finding that he had moved to the floor and was resting his chin over crossed arms on the mattress. “Ah, did I wake you?” He asks innocently, reaching up to pet your ears, but you turn your head away so he misses. “I thought girls liked hearing things like that.” He mumbles thoughtfully, and you wonder why he  ** _doesn’t_**  have anyone special.

He’s obviously attractive, eye candy you’d even say. From what his parents said around you, he was smart, kind, plus he had  a loaded job. He must have been flirting around with some married women in order to remain single for so long.

“Maybe you’re just playing hard to get.” He grins suddenly, an idea formulating in his head. If you weren’t a human yourself half the time, you wouldn’t have understood the way he was slowly rising, watching you closely with that sly grin that showed off his dimple. Before he lunges at you, you leap off his bed and watch as he falls face first onto it. “Oof!” He grunts, before blinking at you in shock. “Smart girl.” He praises, impressed.

You turn your head haughtily. Of course you’re smart, he was treating you like an idiot. “But I’m not done with you yet!” Yelping, you barely dodge him this time as he jumps from the bed to your spot on the floor. You dash out of the room and into the kitchen, hiding under the table before he followed you in. “Playing hide and seek, are we?” You hear him say, but you keep your head low and your body lower, adamant on staying hidden. “I’ve always been bad at this game..” He admits shyly.

Honestly, you’re not sure why this guy was so stubborn to play. Couldn’t he just mind his own business and let you–

“Maybe you don’t like me like Mama and Baba thought… in that case, I’ll just have to give you back.”

“Roof!”

Desperately, you emerge from underneath the table and run into his legs, rubbing your head against his shins and pawing at him.  ** _No._**  He could  ** _not_**  give you back. It was too dangerous living with them while they tried taking care of you. So many times you were almost caught shifting because there were two of them. You needed to stay with him as long as possible, preferably until you or he died.

“So you  ** _were_**  playing hard to get.” Yixing chuckles, squatting again to be your height. Not sure if he was joking or not, you tackle him down and lick at his face, throwing your dignity out the window because if this guy gave you back you’d be found out for sure. “Ah- Whoa there, okay– Doggie!” Realizing he was trying to get you to stop, you immediately obey, but stay on top of him in fear of him getting up to call home. He sighs, calming down from being attacked and staring up at the ceiling. “What am I gonna do with a dog?” He asks himself, one of his hands coming up to rest over your back. For the moment you allow it.

Yixing really didn’t know. It’s not like he was home a lot to take care of you, and when he was home it was on his days off when he wasn’t in the mood for anything but rest. He’d be able to feed you three times a day like he’s supposed to, but that’s about the extent his care can go. “Ah, babysitter?” He lifts his head up and asks you.

Horrified, you bark in protest, which makes him lay his head back down on the floor and ponder his options again.

“But you’ll be all alone most of the day..” He mumbles, and you climb off of him and walk out. “Oh, Doggie, wait.” He follows you out on all fours, mimicking your walk, and if you weren’t half human you would have found it cool. Because you’re part human, though, you think he looks like an idiot. “Mama and Baba didn’t tell me your name. Do you have one?” He asks instead, catching your leg and dragging you back to him.

Huffing, you settle in his lap when he pulls you into it because he obviously wasn’t going to let you leave without answering his questions. How the hell were you supposed to though? It’s not like you were capable of human speech at the moment.

“Is it Daisy?” Bark of protest. “Kiki?” Another bark. “Oh, I know, Luna!” Is this guy really quoting Sailor Moon?

“Roof!” You bark in frustration, fighting to get out of his arms now but he holds you down obliviously. He was never going to guess your actual name! You’re going to be stuck here all night! You don’t have the luxury or time to do that–

“_____?” You freeze, looking up at him in shock. When you don’t bark at him, he repeats it. “_____? Is that your name?”

Well, what are the odds…

“Awesome! Though it’s a weirdly normal name, not one you’d typically name a dog…” He murmurs to himself, before staring at you again. He leans in closer to your face, and you stare back, wishing he could see how much you were judging him for his strange, spacey behavior. Then, he starts smiling, his dimple forming again as he says, “Whatever. _____’s a pretty name.” His hand comes up under your neck and he scratches your fur fondly. “It fits you, you’re a pretty dog, too.”

His hands feel like  ** _magic_**  when he scratches you there, and you unintentionally melt in his arms, shutting your eyes and getting lost in the feeling of his fingers. He chuckles softly at your reaction, seeming satisfied for finally figuring you out a little. “You like that, do you?” He questions, moving to your ears now. “What about here? Here?” He moves his hands around experimentally, all in which makes you weaker. “What about the belly?” He asks, turning you over to touch it.

Yelping in realization of what you were falling for, you jump out of his lap and run to the wall, leaning against it to reevaluate your life. You just gave in to an owner’s most obvious dog trap.  _Good job, idiot._

“No belly?” Yixing asks from the middle of the room, unmoving as he tilts his head. From far away, this man was much less effective. You could think clearly from this distance. With this knowledge, you make sure to try and keep it this way for the rest of your time here. “Oh, that reminds me!” He exclaims, even though nothing happened. “I need to take a picture of us so Mama and Baba can see we’re getting along.” He takes out his phone, then proceeds to crawl over to you again. “Wouldn’t want them worrying about having to take you back.”

This guy appeared and sounded innocent, but you had a sneaking suspicion that he knew what your fear was. When he leans against the wall beside you and you start walking away again, he emphasizes, “Because if they think you’re just a burden to me then they’ll take you back on their own.”

Turning to look at him, you watch his face to see any form of sly attitude, and when you see none, you huff and come back. When you sit on the floor next to him, he smirks in triumph. Ah, so he  ** _was_**  testing you.

“You really want to stay with me, huh?” He asks you, petting your ears again. You shake your head to remove his hand, not willing to let him take advantage of you again. “Come on, then, let’s take pictures.” He takes many of them, eventually making you migrate to different places around the house for better angles and settings. After about twenty of them, he sighs as he’s scrolling through them all. “_____, you don’t look happy in any of these!” He complains, pouting his full lips. “I can’t send one without you trying.”

If you could roll your eyes with it meaning something, you would, so instead you huff again, laying your head on your paws tiredly. He was almost more energetic than a real dog.

“How about a deal,” He proposes, grabbing your leg again even though you haven’t tried leaving. “You give me a good photo, and I’ll leave you alone for the night.” Your ears perk up in interest, and he smiles. “Maybe I’ve been crowding you.” To give him credit, he has been reaching all the right conclusions on his own. “So?” He asks, holding out his hand for you to shake.

Instantly you put your paw on it, and his smile widens.

You don’t know what makes this one different than the others, but you find your heart skipping one too many beats because of it.

“Okay, smile.~” He grins, holding up the camera. You do your best to appear in a good mood and manage to satisfy him in one take. “Great! It’s perfect.” He sends the photo to his parents, all the while saying out loud what he’s texting. “_____ and I are getting along so well already.” He types. “She’s so in love with me, she won’t stop following me around.” You look at him in disapproval, and he laughs before saying, “Just kidding. I’m not a liar.”

Once it’s sent, you go back to his bedroom and curl up on his mattress. For a half second, you expect to see him right behind you, but like he promised, he left you alone and, for some reason, you find it to be kind of lonely. Even if you didn’t particularly like or trust the man, he was so upbeat and talkative that the room felt strange without him in it.

You try to sleep, knowing you needed to do it in this form before you ran out of time because you didn’t want to spend your human hours asleep. You spend your time rolling around in different positions for about ten minutes, but to no help. Finally, you give in to your feelings and reluctantly pad back through the house, listening for which room Yixing was in until you find him in the living room, back on his couch and curled up with his phone. He sees you enter the room and he smiles. “What’s up?”

Without replying, you continue approaching, hop onto the couch by his feet, then lay on your stomach and close your eyes. You feel his hand brush against your neck, but you shake him off. You hear him chuckle, before murmuring, “Okay, I understand.” He returns to his phone but stays by your side and, with his presence, you finally manage to fall asleep.


	2. Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yixing comes close to finding out your secret... or does he already know?

It's been a month since Yixing became your owner, and you have to say that you both grew accustomed to the other's behavior and wants very well. He knows to leave you alone when you walk away from him, while you know to give him attention even when he's not asking for it directly. Like his parents said, he really doesn't stay home often, but he always makes sure to stop by to make sure you're alright.

"I'm going to hang out with my friends tonight, will you be okay all alone?" He asks after pouring you a bowl of food. As a dog, the things you eat taste differently to you than as it would a human. You still try to avoid eating actual dog food, though, the thought making your stomach a bit too queasy. For show, though, you eat a few before barking at him in reply. "Is that a yes?" He asks, and you go back to eating. "I'll be back around 11:00 PM, I'll set your dinner off to the side now so you don't starve while I'm away."

Like he promised, he was gone the whole night. The second he left you shifted to your human form, stretching languidly on the floor before standing up and walking into his bedroom. You opened his closet and rifled through it to find something to wear, and found that his clothes were only a little too big on you. Other than the too long sleeves and length, they fit you everywhere else. Or, maybe that was because you had breasts to fill them out and he didn't.

You settled on a baggy tee with a faded marvel graphic on it and pulled out the smallest pair of briefs you could find. You've done this as a kid, too, when you would sneak into family's homes and take their children's clothes while they were away. The only reason you felt dirty taking Yixing's was because you found him to be attractive.

In the month you've spent living in his home, you've gotten to know him more intimately than you've gotten to know anyone else. You've grown up alone your entire life, never getting too close to anyone and in the short amount of times you spent being someone's "pet", like his parent's, you didn't really care about them or their life and they never really told you about it anyway.

Yixing, on the other hand, does. Maybe it's because he truly is lonely, or maybe it's because he knows you are. For the most part, he rambles about what went on during his day, telling you about his co-workers and funny stories from his childhood. He'll tell you about his aspirations and insecurities, saying, "No one knows this but you." And at first, you honestly didn't take him seriously.

But his kindness and odd habits are consistent, and you realize that this guy is genuinely like his parent's described him to be. The only bad quality you could think of about him was that he was a little too clingy when you let him be, and even that wasn't necessarily a bad thing (just inconvenient for your heart). There wasn't a day that went by where Yixing wouldn't strike up a conversation with you, and after a week of this, you found yourself starting to be interested.

You enjoyed hearing about his reaction to things, hearing about his friend Baekhyun, who, according to him, was the "neatest, nerdiest one" of his "team". You found yourself caring about whether or not his boss Junmyeon would always be late for work, or if his partner Chanyeol would ever pick up his slack. You felt like you were a part of his life at some point, but always remembered at the end of the day that you were just his dog.

In a way, you know you've fallen for him, but you couldn't allow yourself to admit it when your ultimate goal was to stay hidden. You needed to keep under the radar until your drat awful guardians kicked the bucket. The reason you were so bent on being someone's "pet", no matter how humiliating it got (which, in Yixing's case, isn't that bad), was because you needed to stay away from THEM. You couldn't stand being under your parent's care; they were too strict, too scared, too limiting. They had a set path for you to take and you never wanted it, so you ran away.

With nothing to do really, you decide to catch a few winks while he's away and lie on his bed, curling up in his sheets. You noticed the first night you actually slept on it that his scent was all over it. Even as a human, you can smell the fragrance he leaves behind and you find yourself heating up because of it. For now, while he's gone, you let yourself bask in it, not fully letting yourself believe you liked it, but knowing that it relaxed you in a way nothing else did. You instantly slip into the world of dreams.

After a few hours, you wake up and see that it's 9:00 PM. Knowing you had two hours left until he got home, you decided to shower so he'd avoid trying to bring you to a groomer (he tried it once, but you fought long and hard until he gave up). After setting aside his tee and briefs, you step into the hot water and find yourself smiling. So far, you think this lifestyle will work out. You think you'll be able to do what you want. You've finally found someone you can handle spending the rest of your life with, and once he's gone you'll be able to take residence here instead. You feel a little bad for having these thoughts still, though, especially after growing fond of him, but you know it's for your best interest.

Maybe forty minutes later does Yixing arrive home, earlier than he said he would. Little did he know that his pet was in his shower still, enjoying her time alone. He sets down his keys and phone, glancing around his living room but not finding anyone. "Maybe she's sleeping in the room?" He wonders aloud, starting to make his way over there. He's about halfway through the door when he realizes he hears something.

He turns slightly, head tilting in that direction. Yup, there's no doubt about it. "Is someone in my shower?" Tensely, he quietly steps down the hall, slipping into the ajar bathroom door. If he had any doubts before, then they were all blown away as the steam him in the face.

Someone was definitely in his shower.

Whoever was in here must have been trying to be inconspicuous, because no noise came from the box except the sound of water and the occasional splash. Yixing wasn't sure what to do, if he was being honest. Should he call out to them? Attack? Let them leave on their own? Call the police? All these questions are racing through his mind as he walks closer, trying to catch a glimpse of who was inside. But, like it was supposed to, the privacy glass only gave him a glob, and in the dark, it was impossible to tell if someone was even in there. Had there not been splashing, he would thought he left it on accidentally.

He steps closer, closer, his hand reaching out to open the door when--

_Rustle._

"Oh," He turns his head to his feet, where he knocked over a pile of... his clothes? "What the...?" Whoever was in there was going to wear HIS clothes?

Fed up and thoroughly creeped out, he yanks open the shower door and sees--

"Wha-- _____? What are you doing in there?" He asks you as you jump around excitedly in the water. Sighing in relief that it was only you, he turns off the shower head and brings over a towel. "Silly dog, how'd you turn on the water? Though that explains why the light is off..." Maybe he left those clothes out for himself. You shake yourself, expelling the liquid from your furry coat and getting the walls, ceiling, and him covered in water. "Oh-- ugh, you mean dog." He jokes, grabbing your head with the towel and rubbing it in revenge.

You bark, trying to move away, but he's adamant on getting you dry himself. Giving up, you allow him to do it, but only because you needed to keep up appearances. He was  ** _this_**  close to finding you out. Had he knocked over the clothes you set aside and muttered to himself, you never would have heard him in time to shift back into a dog. You had kept the lights off purely for your own comfort.

"There," He says, finishing and tossing the towel in the laundry bin. "Now don't go and shower without me anymore, okay? What if you hurt yourself? Or drowned?" Oh yeah, like you'd drown.

Barking in denial, you hop out of the shower and pad bad to his living room, taking a seat on his couch and waiting for him to sit with you. Every night at 10:00 PM, he'd pull up the news and have you watch it with him. "I can't have my dog not knowing the current events!" He told you the first time.

As usual, he comes into the room to join you, except--

"You don't mind, do you?" He asks, blushing slightly. "I kind of held off when you first came but now that we're more comfortable with each other, I thought it'd be okay."

Since when is wearing only boxers okay?!?!

You're making a run for it when he suddenly blocks the doorway, eyes wide. "Wait, hold on, please?" He begs when you try to squeeze past his legs. "Just try it once? Things are always awkward the first time, but I'm more comfy this way." You run back to the couch and he sighs, but you bury your head in the corner because you just want to die. Of course you had to live with a dude. It just had to be a dude, didn't it? You thought about something like this happening when you first moved in, but thought you didn't have to worry about it because he never did it.

Oh, you were wrong. What makes it worse is that he decided to get naked after you started liking him a little more. If he had done it from the start, you may have been used to it.

"Ah.. maybe this is a bad idea." You hear him mutter when he walks up beside you to see you hiding. He sighs and takes his seat on the other end of the couch before turning on the T.V. "I'm sorry, but this is how I normally am. It was hard for me to change that when you came, so I'd appreciate it if you tried a little for me, too."

Eventually, guilt overcomes you and you hesitantly turn your head to the T.V. He doesn't say anything more and neither do you, instead both of your attentions stolen from the news story.

"Kids these days and their imaginations, am I right, Casey?" The news anchor laughs. "Get this, this just in, we had a six year old come over to our station and file in a story: their pet dog was a shape shifter!" Everyone shared a laugh. "Let's say that this idea is remotely true," The guy entertains the thought. "Maybe your pet is a shape shifter, too?" They move on to the next story but you're mind is stuck on that one.

What the fuck?

Some dumb little kid is trying to rat out one of your kind? Maybe that kid has mental problems, actually, because your kind really isn't that common. But then, maybe you are. You  ** _have_**  been hiding your whole life, not interacting with many other people or animals... the thought of being found out makes you shiver unconsciously.

Unfortunately, your owner notices. "Are you cold?" He asks you worriedly. "That's what a shower at night does, I suppose.." He mumbles, before scooting closer to you. You completely forgot about his lack of clothes until he was at your side, your bodies touching and his skin releasing a noticeable heat. "That should be better."

Completely frozen stiff, you're rendered speechless as his hand comes to rest on your back, his fingers stroking your neck gently as he watched the remaining news. You were sure that if you were in your human form you'd be a blushing mess right now, and with that realization you can no longer pretend and hide it from yourself.

You're attracted to Yixing. You like him. Too much.

Maybe you should find someone else. Maybe his co-worker-- you could go to his workplace and find someone there. He's basically told you all about them. Chanyeol seems like a friendly guy, but too friendly for your taste. He'd probably bug you more than Yixing does. Hmm... Junmyeon wouldn't work either, considering he has a knack for forgetting things. Baekhyun seemed too neglectful, but maybe that would work out...

Your brain ran a mile a minute, so busy trying to figure a way out of your feelings that you don't notice when Yixing's eyes turn from the T.V to you. He's watching you, evaluating you, but for what, you don't know.

Finally, when it's 11:00 PM, Yixing calls it a night, and you've never felt so relieved to go to bed. You could honestly sleep forever if you could, and as a dog, you can sleep for longer hours, so even the nap you took earlier couldn't dissuade you from falling asleep again. You'd also have enough time to shift in the morning and back before he woke up, since you just recently did it.

You wait for him to climb into his bed first, before taking your spot on the floor. "You're not sleeping with me this time?" He asks you, sounding a little disappointed. You ignore him, staying in place. You hear him wiggle around for a bit, trying to get some shut eye, before he sits up with a sigh. "I can't sleep alone anymore. You've conditioned me to have someone near me." He whines, and if you weren't upset with him right now for being so damn hot, you'd have felt empathy.

He sighs again when you make no reaction and lies back down, trying one more time to sleep. This time he's quiet and doesn't toss or turn, so you think he managed to do it on his own, but then he's once again sitting up. "What if I put on a shirt..?" He whispers, too quietly for a human to hear, but just loud enough for you to. You perk your ears up, surprised at his solemn tone. Was he really that dependent on a presence now? "I'll do it..." He continues, his head turned to you now. You can tell by how his voice is reaching your ears.

After a moment, you give in (again) and find yourself jumping onto the bed. He smiles softly, starting to get up to dress himself, but you climb onto his lap and hold him down. "Wha--" He blinks at you in confusion, but you pretend not to notice. If he was really that insistent on being nearly naked because it made him feel better, then you weren't going to stop him. You  ** _were_** , after all, leeching off of him in every way. It was the least you could do as his "pet".

Realizing you were giving him permission to sleep how he was, he suddenly wraps you in his arms and hums contentedly, catching you off guard. "Thank you, Baobei, you're so sweet." He laughs, and you fight your way out of his hold in embarrassment. He releases you, but stays close as he lays on his side, beckoning you to come back. You watch him for a moment, looking for some sign of mischief. "Come," He says gently, and you pad over to him helplessly.

Curling up at his side, you make sure to face the other direction so you're not completely panicky at his proximity. You do your best to fall asleep fast, and listening to his soft breathing, feeling his warmth, smelling his scent... it all makes you slip away faster than a snap.


	3. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your secret is discovered. How does Yixing react?

Yixing wakes up, later than normal, but only briefly. He was having a bad dream and his body pulled him out of it before it got worse. He was only half awake, his brain still sleeping but his body not. He felt awfully hot, but not uncomfortably so. Someone's back was pressed against his chest, the both of them bare and their scents mingling. Yixing knows it's a girl, his nose is in her hair, his arm laying limply across her waist, their feet tangling.

Yixing was sure he still dreaming, because who would be in his bed with him? "..._____?" He murmurs in confusion, trying to identify who it was. You're the only person he went to bed with, he can remember that much, but then who..?

"Yixing.." He wants to know, to find out who, but he's just so sleepy, he's already slipping back into his dreams. He's so far away now that he can't reach out when the warmth leaves him, pulling away and leaving him with a deep emptiness.

 

 

 

 

That. Was. Too. Close.

Not  ** _only_**  did you somehow shift back during the night, but Yixing might have figured you out. You slipped out of bed as quickly and carefully as possible, going to the kitchen to check the time. It was nearly noon, and neither of had woken up yet? He must have canceled work today without telling you, or maybe he canceled after you went to bed. In that case, it makes sense that you shifted back. You ran out of time, but now you needed to revert.

Doing so, you go back to your dog form and run around the house a little bit so stretch, then go back into the bedroom and jump onto the bed. Yixing doesn't stir, instead remaining asleep, and you lay on your paws to watch him. He was awfully beautiful, sleeping peacefully and soundly. His features were so relaxed, and if you weren't afraid of your own emotions, you would have woken him up. He did sleep in this late, after all, maybe work has exhausted him more than either of you realized.

Deciding to leave him be, you get off the bed and head for the backyard, managing to slide open the glass door and run around for a bit. His yard was relatively large and well kept, fenced off so no critters or intruders could make their way in, and certainly so no dog could make their way out, either. It made you feel secure, yet lonely. Secure because you knew that nothing in the forest behind this home would bother you, yet alone because you couldn't go anywhere but stay in the premises.

It was weird how the longer you spent time with Yixing, the more alone you felt. You've never had this problem your entire life, knowing that only you could look after yourself and no one knew what was best for you except for you. You knew the leecher's life was what you wanted; the easy way out. You're willing to selfishly live off of someone else's money and time in order to live in comfort. You were prepared to be alone.

Yet, now...

_Shlunk._

You turn around and see that Yixing had closed the glass door, and was now squatting with an amused grin. You ran up to him and put your paws on the glass, asking to come back in, but he starts laughing. He opens it slightly, then shuts it again before you can put your leg in. Realizing he was playing with you, you huff in annoyance and wonder why you ever felt like you liked him.

"Aigoo~, come back!" He chuckles, finding himself too funny for the situation. He comes out the door barefoot, stepping into the grass and following you despite being only in briefs. He must have done this before in order to be so comfortable, or maybe he just never cared in the first place. "Please?? I called off work today so we could play together." He says, and you look at him in horror.

He's planning to be with you  ** _all_**  day?

"Let's go back in, it's sort of cold out, don't you think?" He shivers, walking back in on his own but leaving the door open this time. You close it behind you with a struggle, but when you're done he congratulates you. "Mama and Baba did say you were trained." He muses, sitting on his butt by the door. "Maybe you were a blind person's dog." He wonders, petting your head in thought. You let him, telling yourself you had to get used to this treatment eventually. You couldn't just ignore him anymore, not with your growing feelings, and besides that... you sort of enjoyed it.

"Oh, I know!" He gasps, holding up his free hand's finger. You stare at it in confusion since he pauses. "You're a spy dog!" He claps his hands together and laughs when you shake your head in bemusement. Could he come up with any more stupid ideas? "No?" He questions, putting his chin in his palm to think some more. "What did that guy call it?" He purses his lip in thought, and you think he looks cute like that. You begin to put your nose on his knee, pushing it so he'd get up for breakfast, when he says, "Ah, a shape shifter."

You look up at him and bark in denial, before just walking into the kitchen yourself. He follows, a half laugh escaping him. "Not that either? Good, because if you were, I'd be mad." You pretend that doesn't bug you as much as it does, but can't really hide it from yourself when he continues. "I'd be mad because it meant you were lying to me this whole time and I never knew." Guilt washes over you, but you put your paw in your food bowl so he'd hurry up and change the subject.

He stays quiet for a bit, grabbing the bag and pouring some in for you, but when you start eating, he keeps going. "I mean, just think of it from my point of view. I welcome you into my home thinking I've maded my friend for life, I feed you, take care of you, make sure you're not alone too much... if you were a shapeshifter, then it would be pretty selfish of you to live off of my kindness." You already know all these things. He doesn't need to rub it in your face.

"And if you were a shape shifter, then that means I told all my feelings and insecurities to someone I don't even know. Do you know how upset I'd be for being deceived?" You eat your food, telling yourself you'll tune him out if he tried to make a bigger point of this, but he says no more and just watches you, sitting on the floor beside the fridge. "Or maybe you're just a dog, and I'm embarrassing myself right now." He says.

The whole day, Yixing follows you around, sometimes interacting with you a nd sometimes not. He spends a good amount of that time just observing you, and halfway through he told you it was because he was checking to see if you had any human qualities. You begin to think that maybe he's going crazy. Maybe he's always been crazy; he's been talking to you like a person this whole time, after all. In that case, should you care what he thinks?

"Yah, if I told you to go right, would you go left?" He asks, and you don't know what to do, so you stay where you are. "Go left." He points, and you obey. "Now go right." He points the other way, so you listen. After a moment, he points to the left again, but says, "Go right." Confused as to what he was trying to do, you go to the right, and you see him start to frown. Didn't you listen to him? "Stay here, _____." He sighs, going to grab his phone from the living room.

When he comes back, he sits against the wall and waves for you to join him. He was acting more odd than normal today, and you gradually make your way over before he turns his screen to you. "Do you see this?" He asks you, pointing to the article. "I've been doing research." He explains, scrolling up a bit. "They said to test if your dog was smart or not, tell it to go in the opposite direction you're pointing." You read the rest on your own. If the dog listens to your demand and not your gesture, then it was intelligent. "That's what you did." He says, but that's all.

The rest of the night you wonder when you'll be able to slip away from him to shift, anytime to shift. You just needed a few seconds away, but he was always on your tail (pun intended). He kept bringing up things he knows nothing about! "You know, as a kid I read a lot of shape shifter books." He tells you one hour while you're literally running into every room trying to lose him. "In it, they either had a time limit or would only shift during the full moon." He goes on, seeming uninterested in your rush. "But since we've have plenty nights with no full moon and many nights where I'm gone or asleep, maybe the time limit is more your thing." He chides.

Was he onto you? Why was he so insistent today? You mean, in hindsight, there were times when he would just look at you do things, but you just figured it was because he finally had nothing to say. Yes, those times did increase over the month you lived with him, but there's no way he could have... no way.

Finally, you run into the bathroom, but he follows you in. You try to go around him, thinking you've finally got the upper hand, but he blocks you, sitting in the doorway and trapping you in here. "You know, yesterday when I came home early..." He starts, and you're forced to sit down still so you didn't appear even more suspicious. "I came home because I got in a fight with my friends." He admits, and you can't keep up with this man's constant change of pace. He talks about one thing and then another, just like that. "That was the real reason I called off work today. I'm sorry I lied to you." He says quietly, not quite looking at you anymore.

He's silent for a little, and you sense the change in atmosphere. Worriedly, you pad closer and rub his cheek with yours, making him look up at you. "Today was our bonding day," He smiles slightly, petting your neck and back affectionately. "I had fun, except for when you ignored me." He chuckles when you run your nose along his face again in apology. You were too trusting of him, you let yourself believe he had nothing to hide, nothing to worry about if he didn't already tell you. Of course he still had secrets. Even you had things you would never say out loud.

"It was dumb, honestly. Baekhyun had tried setting me up with another girl, but I wasn't interested and he got upset." He tells you, staring into your eyes sadly. "Everyone is so worried I'll die alone and lonely, but they don't understand. I'm happy the way I am." He tells you, using both hands to grab your face. He ruffles your fur a bit before saying, "How could I possibly be alone when I have you?"

In that moment, you feel your heart cave in. Earlier, you were so set on taking advantage of him for the rest of your life. How could you do that now? After he says something like this? It's official now, whether or not you wanted to or not, you had to leave. You couldn't stay here if he continued to say things like that, he'd push you over the edge. He already had your heart and mind, he couldn't have your life.

You tell yourself this, but you can't do it. You're stuck.

"_____..." Yixing breathes out, and you nuzzle your nose in his neck, putting your hands up on his shoulders. His hands move to rest on your back, his palms flat and his fingers splayed. "_-_____," How could you leave him all alone, when you're the only one he has to spend his time with? How could you leave him, when you felt the same way? You exhale shakily, your emotions getting the better of you, and you ball your fingers in his shirt.

Your fingers.

"_____, uh.. that is your, um, name, right?" You pull back in surprise, eyes wet from crying a little but now you're heart is pounding too fast.

"I-I can explain." You stammer, shaking your head, but he cuts you off.

"_____." He says, and you shut your mouth, meeting his focused gaze. Your fingers release his shirt but you stay close to him, thinking he had something to say. Then, he turns his face away and squeezes his eyes shut, his face turning red. "Y-You're naked, _____."

Fuck.

Mortified beyond help, you make embarrassed noises as you scramble around for something to cover yourself with. Luckily you were in the bathroom and you grab three towels and throw them on yourself. After you settle, you glance at him to see he's still got his eyes closed, his lips pressed tight. "Yi-Yixing." You stutter, and he opens his eyes finally, but doesn't look at you still. He looks out of breath, now that you're looking at him. His face is red and his eyes are shaky.

He says nothing and does nothing, so you secure the towels and stand up to go. "Ah, wait--" He grabs your wrist, stopping you. You look down at him, still feeling mortified and on the verge of tears. He's figured you out, and in the worst way. There's no way he'd keep you here as a pet and there's no way you could stay as one anyway. "Wait." He says again, swallowing thickly. "I already knew." He finally says.

"You.. knew?" You repeat, shaking your head in disbelief. "But I never.."

"Yeah, I thought someone was breaking into my house while I was gone everyday." He confesses. "But come on, you think I'm dumb? It's not hard after a month of noticing things are missing." You guess you hadn't thought of that. When you were with other families, there were always other people around to blame for mishappens. You had gotten too used to shifting the blame that it slipped your mind.

"B-But, I was careful." You say. "I-I never took too much. It shouldn't have been noticeable."

"It wasn't, not at first." He swallows again, glancing between your eyes before letting go of your wrist and looking at his lap. "Please sit down and listen to me." He asks of you, and you know it's not a demand. You know he could never demand you, now that he's certain you're a human. You, reluctantly, do, taking your spot back in front of him, but with distance this time. "I didn't notice things were being used at first." He continues, motioning to his shower. "Like my shampoo, or my food, etcetera." He explains. "But... I noticed those things after I found your hair in my drain."

"I was cleaning the shower when I noticed hair. It was too long to be mine, so I had no idea where it came from. Coincidentally, when I went to take one myself, I was going through my clothes and found a pair that was folded differently than how I do it." He says, and you can see how he pieced it all together after this. There was no need for further explanation, he got you. "And then, I started doing tests around you. Not really obvious ones, but tests nonetheless."

"For example..?" You hear yourself saying emptily. There was really no point in dragging this out, but you wanted to anyway. You knew that in a little bit, you were either going to get kicked out or given to the police. You may as well get as much of Yixing as you can before he throws you away.

"When I only wore briefs yesterday," He says, finally looking at you to gouge your reaction. "I read online that if I did that around an unneutered dog then they'd go crazy."

"I did go crazy." You tell him.

"Not how they described." He replies.

Realizing you admit that, you angrily tear apart your soul in your head. Why are you so dumb? Now he'll think you're a leech  ** _and_**  a pervert. "Anyway, that got me thinking... if you really were a shape shifter, what was I doing to you?" He says. "I was treating you like an animal, like you were dumber and less than me. That would be so humiliating if it were me." He says, unexpectedly passionately. "I couldn't do that to someone."

"All these things are weird, yes, but how did you know for sure?" You ask him, curious for his answer. He starts blushing again, but keeps your gaze.

"Well, I wasn't." He says shyly, rubbing his hair. "I thought that maybe I was just going crazy."

"I thought you were, too." You admit, and he chuckles. It catches you off guard.

"Makes sense. No normal person would think their dog were a human."

"Well, most dogs aren't really humans, either." You find yourself defending him. Your attempt does not go unnoticed, because Yixing's still smiling at you. It has your heart making rounds around your ribs, like an acrobat.

"Oh," He blurts, holding up his hand. "I also had a dream you were a human."

"A dream?" You repeat incredulously.

"Yeah, after that I thought, there  ** _must_**  be a chance of it then." He laughs.

"What a dumb reason." You laugh back, then, when he has nothing else to say, you ask, "What was it?"

"H-Huh? The dream?" He stutters, and you nod. "Well... get this, I don't really remember it too well. I had it last night, which is why I was so relentless with you today." He gives you an apologetic smile, his dimple apparent with it. "I didn't get to see you, all I remember is... we were sleeping." He says.

"We were sleeping?" I ask, confused. "So you had a dream you were sleeping with someone. Why did you think it was me?" You ask, since that could have no correlation at all.

"I mean, I just  ** _knew_**  it was you. You know when you get those feelings that  ** _have_**  to be true? And they are?" He insists to prove his point. "And, when I said your name.. you said mine back. It had to be you, no one else would do." The way he words things is so misleading, you think. Why does he have to make it sound like you're special?

"You dummy..." You say, hanging your head in embarrassment. "That wasn't a dream. That happened this morning." You tell him.

"I-It wasn't?" Yixing finds himself being the one who's more mortified. He was touching you then, rather intimately. His face was in your hair, and he thought it smelled  ** _nice._**  You were so close to him, practically fully against him. Had there not been a blanket between you, you may have even felt his morning--

"No, I had ran out of time and shifted then, too." You mutter, tracing the tile with your finger. Yixing watches you in silence, not sure what to say. Does he confess how he feeling? Keep it to himself? Instead, he does neither.

"W-Well then, what do you remember?" He says unsteadily, obviously shaken up by the information. You blush, too, not sure where he was getting at.

"I only remember as much as you, then I left because I needed to shift back." You huff, growing upset with your growing embarrassment. "Then you found me in the yard and wouldn't leave the me hell alone so I couldn't stay a dog." You tell him, and he bites his lip guiltily.

"I had honestly given up on the idea of you being human by dinner time, though." He confesses, and you gape at him. "You hadn't changed all day, so I thought I really was insane. So I started rambling about my feelings and then.. well, now you're human." He says.

Yixing just  ** _had_**  to be this irresistible, didn't? "Well, I'll be gone in a minute, too." You say, standing up again and he copies you. "I can't stay here if you know of me, I'll find another home to live in for now." You say emotionless, shrugging. When you start walking past him again, he blocks the doorway with his arm.

"Hold on," He says hurriedly, eyes wide. "Why do you have to leave?"

"Um, because I'm half dog?" You say, as if that were a good reason to Yixing. He didn't care about that. He didn't think of it like that at all. From what it sounds like, you shifted  ** _into_**  a dog. A dog didn't shift into  ** _you._**  You were a human who could transform into an animal, not the other way around. How does that make you any less human than him?

"I don't care." He hears himself saying. "Don't leave, please." When you don't listen and push his arm out of the way, he grabs you and pulls you against his chest, hugging you from behind. "Please! Didn't I tell you that you're the only one I have?" You don't fight him this time, standing silently in his arms, and Yixing thinks you're still not convinced. "_____, I've never been so happy in my life. I thought I was good before, but having you here when I'm home makes everything so much better."

"Yixing.." You cry, hands falling over his own. "Don't you see I've been using you? What makes you think I could stay? That I have the  ** _right_**  to?" You ask of him.

"Don't you care about me, too?" He whispers in your ear.

His hands grip you tighter, and your entire back is covered by Yixing's chest. You feel him breathe with you, his body caging you in but it felt like the best cage, one that set you free yet kept you in at the same time. "Isn't that why you hugged me earlier? Because you cared about me?" He asks.

And, after a second's pause, you whisper, "Yes."


End file.
